Aeroplane-engine-controlling mechanism.



H. L. WILLOUGHBY. ABROPLANE ENGlNE CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

- APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 28, 1911.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

lation of levers HUGH L. WILLOUGHBY, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

.AEROPLANE-ENGINE-CON TROLLIN G MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

Application filed August 28, 1911. Serial No. 646,300.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH L. WIL'- LOUGHBY, a citizen of the United States,l

residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in vAeroplane Engine Controlling Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to controlling mechanism for the engines of aeroplanes `and particularly to a pedal cont-rolled arran ement disposed. for operation by the rig it foot of the aviator and whereby the throttle valve may be fully closed and the sparking circuit positively broken without requiring the aviator to pursue a complex manipuor other devices or to assume any unusual positions in attaining the result sought.

vft is well understood that the most important point in running an aeroplane is to have the engine operate at full speed in the air and never vary from a given number of revolutions except during descension, when a slowing of the speed of the engine is required in order to finish with a full stop at the landing. Heretofore numerous accidents both to the aeroplanes and aviators have occurred owing to the failure of the engine controlled mechanism to operate to positively shut onc the throttle valve and to break the sparking circuit.

The purpose of this invention is to avoid accidents by providing a foot-controlled mechanism for shutting oii' the throttle valve and breaking the sparking circuit with certainty by little or no effort on the part of the aviator and through the medium of simple mechanism that may be quickly operated.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a portion of an aeroplane of that type in which the propeller is in advance of theengine and showing the features of the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the engine cylinders and throttle valve showing the controlling bar or slide and a portion of the operating means for the latter.

The numeral `5 designates a frame having a lower base support o1" platform 6, and in suitable position thereon the aviators seat 7 is secured in rear of the engine or motor 8 of any approved type, havin a shaft 9 projecting therefrom to drive t e propeller 10.

The features of the invention are shown applied to an aeroplane in which the aviator sits in rear of t-he engine and the latter 'drives a forward propeller. It will be understood that the improved pedal control -for the engine embodying the features of the invention may be applied to any 'form of aeroplane or engine, and instead of working wholl in advance of the aviator a simple and o vio'us reversal of parts of the mechanism may be 4adopted to permit a similar operation ir rear of the position of the aviator. Furthermore, a particular form" of throttle slide or control and sparking plug and circuit completing means is shown, but it is proposed to apply the features of the invention to any throttle valve operatin means and sparking plug circuitto whic they may be applicable, and the invention is not limited to use with any lprecise form of engine, throttle valve operating means and sparking plug circuit, and those shown in the drawing have been adopted simply to illustrate one practical form of application of the invention.

Mounted on the base support 6 at a suitable distance in advance of the Seat 7 for the aviator is a bracket 11 embodying an upwardly projecting and forwardly inclined arm 12 having a spring contact 13 secured the base portion thereof and in advance of the same. Slidingly mounted in the arm 12 above the contact spring 13 and also movably extending through the base support 6 in advance of the bracket 11 is a pedal rod or bar 14C having a head 15 at its upper rear end for engagement by the foot of the aviator and connected at its lower end to one arm of a bell-crank lever 16 movably depending from a bracket 17 attached to the under side of the support 6. The remaining arm of the bell-crank lever 16 is connected by a link rod 18 movably extending upwardly through the support 6 to `one arm of a second bell-cranklever" 19 fulcrumed on a bracket 20 projecting rearwardly from a forward portion 21 of the frame, the other arm of the bellcrank lever 19 having a spring 22 attached thereto and to the said bracket 20 and also connected by a link rod 23 to a third bellcrank lever 24 fulcrumed on a bracket 25 projecting rearwardly from the upper portion of the frame and having aslotted arm 26 to receive a pin 27 of the throttle controlling slide or bar 28. The contact spring 13- is included in the sparking circuit of the engine, and fixed on the pedal rod14 to j move therewith is a contact projection or ball 29 which is shiftable over the spring 13 and while in engagement with the latter the sparking circuit is maintained in closed condition, but as soon as the ball 29 is moved off the contact spring 13, the sparking 01rcuit is instantly broken.

I The throttle controlling slide 28 is slldable at its forward extremity in a suitable guide 30 and at its rear extremity moves through an upright 31, the said rear eXtremity of the slide being formed with a shouldered enlargelnent 32 to drop over the lower portion of the rear edge of the wall of a slot 33 formed in the upper extremity of the upright 31. The rear locking extremity 32 of the slide 28 is forced downwardly when the shoulder thereof comcides with the inner edge of the lower wall of the slot 33,by a, pressure spring 34 se- -cured to the upright 31 above the slide. The rear end of the vslide within easy reaching distance of the aviator has an operating head 35 by means of which the slide l may be released from locking position and permitted to be moved to open the throttle and start the engine. The lock of the slide 28 operates only when the latter is moved a maximum distance to fully close the throttle valve. The slide 28, as shown, is provided -with yielding bridging contacts a on its under side to engage the 35 conductors 36 of the cylinders, said conductors extending-in adjacent to the sparking plugs 37, as well understood in the art, and .as heretofore indicated the sparking plugs 37 are in electrical circuit with the 40 contact spring 13. The slide 28 also has a transverse slot 38'formed therein to receive a projection or pin39 of a lever 40 connected to the stem of a throttle valve 41, the latter being of any approved type. When the slide 28 'is operated, the -lever 40' will be shifted in opposite directions in' accordance with the direction of movement of the slide to partially open or .close or fully open or close the throttle valve in accordance with the control of .the engine desired during certain operations of the aeroplane.

The spring 22 operates to hold the pedal rod 14 and ball 29 fully up in the position shown by Fig. 1, and when the latter parts are in such position the throttle valve 41 is wide open, and the distance of up-play can be set to give full speed or number of revolutions that may be desired. During the iiight of the aeroplane the operator may slow down the engine by pressing downwardly on the pedal rod 14 with the right foot to control the aeroplane in volplaning or for other purposes as may be found necessary, and a downward pressure on the rod 14 operates through the bell-cranks 16,

19 and 24 and the connecting link rods 18 and 23 to correspondingly shift the slide 28 and proportionately shut off the throttle valve` 41. lfVhen the pedal rod 14 is re-| lieved of foot pressure of the aviator the spring 22 immediately comes into play and restores the parts to normal position and the throttle valve 41 is fully opened. This partial depression of the pedal rod does not break contact or engagement of the ball 29 with the spring 13, but when it is desired to fully shut ott' the engine in making a landing, a stronger downward pressure is exerted on the pedal rod 14 andjust prior to the disengagement of the ball or contact projection 29 with the spring 13 the slide 28 will have been shifted rearwardly a sufficient distance to lock the same by means hereinbefore explained and fully shut 0H the throttle valve, and immediately subsequent, in view of the continued downward pressure exerted on the pedal rod, contact of the projection 29 with the spring 13 will be broken or the said projection will move od the spring, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and immediately the sparking circuit is broken and all liability of the engine starting tintil the slide 28 is manually released from its locked position will be prevented. W'hen the slide 28 is locked the retractile effort of the spring 22 will be overcome and the pedal lever. 14 will remain in depressed position, but as soon as the aviator releases the rear locked extremity of the slide 28 the spring-22 again acts and restores the pedal lever 14 and the ball orecontact 29 to normal position, as shownI by full lines in Fig. 1. On making a landing/the thrust of the whole body of the aviator in a forward direction without any mental action whatever and while the footv is in engagement with the upper end of the pedal rod 14 will shut off the gas, break the sparking circuit and stop the engine and thereby hold the propeller in iixed posit-ion until it is desired to again start the engine, and this same operation may be pursued either in the air or on the ground. The improved controlling mechanism hereinbefore explained will be found exceptionally advantageous for the purpose for which it has been devised, and its use will avert accidents now frequently experienced, and furthermore, it will be observed that the vpedal mechanism works exactly opposite to the accelerator .of an automobile to meet radically different conditions. 1 lNhat is claimed is:

1. In controlling mechanism for aeroplane engines, the combination with theengine throttle valve and the spark plug circuit, of a slide connected `to the throttle valve, a pedal device connected to the slide and having means for restoring the same to normal position when released, and a contact included in the sparking plug circuit and slidably engaged directly by a portion of the pedal device to control the sparking circuit, the pedal device being operable to completely shut olf the throttle valve prior to the breaking of the spark plug circuit and the portion of the pedal device engaging the contactbeing Wholly shift-able off the latter.

2. In controlling mechanism for aeroplane engines, the combination with the engine throttle valve and the spark plug circuit, of a slide connected to the throttle valve, a pedal device connected with the slide of the throttle valve to operate the throttle valve to partially or Wholly close and open the latter and provided with means for maintaining and breaking the sparking circuit and also operable to Wholly shut olii the throttle valve prior to breaking the sparking circuit.

3. In controlling mechanism for aeroplane engines, the combination With the engine throttle valve and the spark plug circuit, of a slide connected to the throttle valve, the slide being provided at one extremity with automatically operating lock- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of-Iatenta,V

ing means to hold the same against movement when the throttle valve is completely closed, and foot operated mechanism connected 'to the slide to partially or Wholly close or partially or Wholly open the throttle valve and operable to fully close the throttle valve prior to breaking the sparking circuit.

4. In controlling mechanism for aeroplane engines, the combination with the engine throttle valve and the sparking circuit, of a slide connected to the throttle valve and having an automatically locking extremity, the slide being locked against movement When the throttle valve is fully closed independent of manual retention, and foot operated mechanism connected to the slide and adapted to be actuated to partially or Wholly close or open the throttle valve and subsequent to the closing of the latter to break the sparking circuit.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HUGH L. I/VILLOUGrI-IBY.v

Witnesses:

EDWARD A. SHERMAN, JAMES P. CEzzENs.

Washington, D. C. 

